Expat and travel blog featuring stories on living overseas destinations, as well as some stuff on the expat blogosphere too.

expat stuff

06/13/2013

The introduction of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) was a good thing for people who travel - it meant that there was now a simple and (hopefully) easy way to get healthcare when abroad in another European Economic Are country when it was needed most. Two things about the EHIC though that need pointed out are that:

it's not a replacement for health insurance, despite having the word 'insurance' in its name. You can in some instances be charged towards the cost of your treatment

A recent post on Expat Forum highlights some of the changes that have been made to free healthcare for expats in France and Spain. A must read if you are in France as an expat or are planning on going to live there long term - basically if youre under French retirement age and not registered to work in the country, then you're not likely to be eligible for free treatment on the French public health system which in any case doesn't cover costs in full, necessitating health cover for most expats anyway. The article quotes an AXA PPP International manager, who states that 'many people don’t realise that comprehensive medical insurance is a necessity, not a luxury'.

In fact, it appears that not having medical insurance could even mean not getting past the airport arrivals gate in some countries these days, as this story highlights.

05/27/2013

Interesting clip of a US expat in Germany - the presenter makes an interesting point about being in a new country where the language is different. There is definitely a period where you go from being an articulate, intelligent individual in your home country to this 360 degree noob in your new country. But it passes, thankfully.

05/23/2013

DNA - or deoxyribonucleic acid, to give this molecule its full name - is a thing of wonder. Essentially it's the instruction booklet for living organisms, and it's proof that nature is a very amazing thing.

I don't know if being an adventurer, traveller or expat is strictly a genetic thing. But it may well be. This cool infographic asks the question do you have expat DNA? So have a look and find out if you do.

05/22/2013

There's often quite a lot of talk in the media about the various nationalities who move to Britain to earn a living - but what about the UK nationals who go to live abroad?

There's a very interesting video clip on the BBC news site right now which tells the story of an Englishman who now resides in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Andy Sowray is a hop owner who has an interesting retail niche - selling British food to UK expats in the city, as well as selling them to anyone else there who fancies trying the various iconic British brands such as Marmite, Bisto and so on.

Andy's shop website is here if you want to explore further - and he also does his own line in butchery products as well selling some of the better UK beers, too. If you're in Bulgaria and homesick fro some UK treats, then this oculd definitely be a bit of a must.

05/20/2013

The rate of expatriation grows despite various parts of the world being in recession, and despite the overall generalised effects of the downturn. The mix of ever-evolving communications, relatively cheap travel, and constantly developing economies means that there's unlikely to be any levelling off in expat assignment numbers anytime soon.

Working abroad is something that consistently shows up in surveys as being something that employees really value. It's seen by many as a valuable part of career development as well as the chance to learn a new culture and language.

But sending staff abroad - while it's more and more widespread - isn't necessarily that simple a thing to do, and without the services of a global HR function it means organisations have a few things to think about when sending people abroad:

EHIC or not? If you're based in the EEA and sending a staff member (or members) to another EEA country then your employee may be an EHIC holder. The EHIC is residency based though - so it depends on the length of your employee or employees' stay. The EHIC isn't (despite its name) a substitute for (or equivalent of) international health insurance. It doesn't always mean the holder will be exempt from charges, and neither does it mean avoiding waiting times.

A standard level of cover according to the AXA PPP International website also includes medical evacuation or repatriation which the EHIC doesn't. Emergency medical repatriation can be very expensive for the uninsured and there are often news stories detailing the tales of traveller woe when something went wrong for the uninsured.

Interestingly, one survey (the results of which were published last year) indicated that in a lot of cases there was confusion over what type and level of cover is required for employees working overseas. It appears that in some cases it's not understood that business travel insurance and international insurance are different from each other, with the former being time-limited and also designed for emergency use - while the latter is a health policy that can include various levels of cover for people who are staying long term overseas.

Depending on your provider, International medical cover also means that (dependent on where your staff are) there can be better access to English speaking medical staff if employees aren't confident in the local language.

More on global talent management here - well worth a read if you're an employer or have a wider interest in expatriation and socioeconomic trends.

For many who move abroad, the health system in the new country of residence is an important factor in terms of deciding what's required healthcare-wise. For instance, you may move to a country where there is an adequate state system that you have access to and can enrol it. But it may be that the system works significantly differently from the one at home - and often this is the case.

Quite often - even if you have the same access to a healthcare system as a national of that country, you'll still have to pay towards treaments and medicines.

On top of this, a lot of times there can be long waiting lists for various things. And additionally there's the language barrier too. All of which means that getting international cover is recommended and in the case of people working abroad on an international assignment it's often provided by their employer as part of the employment package. This is especially important if employees are being sent to work in areas where the facilities are basic.

If you're an employer it's worth checking out the different levels of international health cover that are available - it's possible to add optional cover compnents to suit the requirements of your employees and also your budget as an employer.

03/25/2013

If you're looking for somewhere warm to spend time overseas, you could do worse than rock up in the Persian Gulf. While Parisians are pulling on their overcoats and experiencing a rather bracing temperature well below 10 Celsius as they go about their business today, in Kuwait it's an extremely pleasant 30 degrees.

It's perhaps no wonder then that the Gulf has for a good while now been an expat destination of choice for many. Indeed, if you look at the demographics of, for instance, Dubai - the population is in fact majority expatriate. Fewer than a fifth of Dubai's residents are UAE nationals, with the rest of the populace being made up of folk from all around the globe, with the biggest single group of Western expats being from the UK.

In Kuwait, there's a similarly expat-heavy population, although the ratio of expats to nationals isn't quite as high, with around two thirds of people in the country being foreign nationals.

It's probably a fair guess that, given the pattern of expatriate employment in Kuwait, initially it won't be the more highly skilled jobs that are affected. But given Kuwait's current birth rate coupled with its very high number fo expats, it looks like the plan will result in quite a major lowering of the population, which could have some attendent economic effects that could be pretty noticeable.

I'll update more on this story in a couple of months, or as soon as there's any more substantive news on the plan.

03/21/2013

It's just a fact of life that something in one country (or region) will have a different price tag as compared with somewhere else. So if you live in the most expensive city in the world (reputedly Tokyo these days, then expect to pay that bit more for your everyday outgoings.

In fact, the price differences between places are very cleverly exploited in the money markets, in deals that are known as arbitrage - which apparently offer the chance of risk-free profit at no cost. I'd love to know how that actually works, as it sounds like a fun way of supplementing the old salary. But hey, I'm not a stockbroker so will have to make do with saving cash by shopping at Aldi.

Bit of a digression there - apologies. One of the biggest variances in price you'll see globally is that of healthcare. As a recent article in the wonderful Health Insurance Magazine points out, the "equipment and expertise" required to carry out an MRI scan are pretty much the same wherever you'd find the procedure being carried out - but the amount charged for it can be vastly different.

The article quotes the director of medical services for health insurer AXA PPP International, who highlights the fact that big price differences can be seen even between places that aren't that far apart, such as the UK mainland and Jersey.

Among the reasons for price variance:

stage of country's economic development

different 'models of healthcare provision'

the number of expatriates resident

the amount of per-capita GDP spent on healthcare

As healthcare becomes more and more of a global phenomenon, will we be likely to see some lessening of the sometimes sheer cost differences for healthcare? Probably not any time in the near future...

03/14/2013

There's something about this country that makes it globally appealing. And when you look at all the things the wonderful Italia has going for it, then it's treally no surprise:

The culture: from Opera to literature ancient and modern, Italy is a truly magical place, with pretty much one of the most interesting histories of anywhere on the planet.

The food and drink. Okay, so we all love pizza and tiramisu and cappucino and so on - but the varied regional cuisine of Italy holds many delicious suprises even for people who know the country pretty well - pasta alla norcina rosso? Yes please.

The sport. Serie A - need I say more?

The countryside. There's no doubtabout it, Italy has some amazing countryside - in fact if you're used to spending your days in a concrete and tarmac metropolis, a trip to Tuscany may actually overwhelm in its visual charm.

The Italian healthcare system. Placed second in the entire list when the World Health Organisation compiled rankings of health care systems internationally, Italy's health system continues to be very highly regarded, as this international insurance provider's country guide states - although as is pointed out, having cover means not needing to know the language or the system. On top of this, many state systems charge patients towards treatment - so even short term EHIC holders and longer term residents registered with the system won't necessarily get free treatment in European Economic Area countries.

Italian cities. Rome, Palermo, Naples, Florence, Venice, Milan - and more! Amazing to think that one country can offer so much captivating countryside as well as so many great, great cities.

03/11/2013

Like many of us, I imagine, my first thought would be to book a really good holiday somewhere and spend my time soaking up some sunshine and planning my bext moves. Hawaii would be my destination of choice, probably - the perfect place t0 relax and enjoy thinking about what I'd do with my new-found riches.

But what would come after that? I'm sure many of us would consider a move abroad - maybe find accommodation in a glamorous location and head off there to see what life would be like in one of our dream locations. New York, Paris, Hong Kong - wherever.

And it seems that it's not just the newly well-off who fancy a move - according to recent research, over a fifth of millionaires are thinking about becoming expatriates at some point during the next two years. Apparently - and perhaps no surprises here - one of the main reasons people are considering going abroad is because of the UK weather.

While millionaires may be making international moves, it's also expected that the number of employees embarking on international assignments wil continue to rise for at least the next five years. This is in no small part due to number of massively expanding economies such as China's - and we may see even more accelerated growth as and when the global economy recovers from the downturn. International health insurance as a market is also remaining robustly positive, since for employees overseas it's pretty much a necessity.

One of the factors, of course, of a truly globalised world is that emigration patterns will be dynamic - and people will move around more than in the pre-global era. And who knows - maybe, just maybe, I will win the lottery and be on holiday in Hawaii this summer, and a Hong Kong living expat not long after?